Refrigerator provided with a refrigerated drawer



Oct. 5', 1948. F. w. STUART ,2,450,844

` REFRIGERATOR PROVIDED WITH A REFRIGERATED DRAWER Filed Dec. 13. 194 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lll IRIIIIIVIIIIUD INVENTOR. ma n. .salari M A141 Ys Oct. 5, 1948. 4F. w.s1'UAR'r 2 0,344 REPRIGBRATOR PROVIDED '11TH A .REFRIGERTBD DRER rma uw. 1s.' 1944 z sheets-snee!! z INVENroR.

An Ys refrigerator cabinet I which Piuma oei. s, 194s luNiTizD STATES PATENT orrica 2,450,844 V n rmoana'ron PROVIDED WITH, A narmcanii'ran DRAWER ma w. stuart, cincinnati, omo

16 Claims.

The present invention relates to household type refrigerators to improvements which have special food storage compartments wherein substantially low temperatures, approximating 0 F., are maintained for keeping food in a frozen state for indefinite periods of time.

An object of the invention is to provide in a refrigerator a food' compartment which 4is entirely independent of the normal food compartment therefor and which has improved means for permitting access to its food storage compartment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a low temperature food storage compartment which is mounted for sliding movement within the refrigerator cabinet and 'which has a removable top by which access is had to the interior-of said compartment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reliable and simplified means for transmitting refrigerant between a stationarily mounted re frigerating unit and a sliding compartment for the storage of food at substantially low temperatures.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a refrigerator cabinet means for accommodating the refrigerant transmitting tubes which interconnect a'refrigerating unit and a sliding, low temperature compartment which has disposed therebetween the normal food storage compartment.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specication and drawings wherein the preferred embodiments of my invention are set forth, and in which:

Fig. l is a fragmental, side elevational view of a refrigerator, parts thereof being shown in cross-section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental view taken on of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental, side elevational view of a modified form of my refrigerator.

line 2-2 Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 5--5 0f Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken-on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The embodiment of my invention consists of a has a centrally dispose-d chamber II for the normal storage of .foods at relatively low temperatures. This cabinet is formed in the conventional manner with heat insulating side walls I2 and I3, a rear wall Application December 1s, 1944. sei-iai 10.567.919

. whereupon said I4 and top and bottom walls I5l and I6 respectively. Shelves chamber II -and. food stored thereupon is accessible from the exterior of the cabinet by means also constructed of a hinged door I'I winch is in the usual manner of heat insulating material. The refrigerator has the usual sheet metal walls protecting the insulation in the normal' food com'- partment and all of these louter walls for the compartment extend to,y or near, the floor except the sheet metal side wall I8 (Fig. 2) which terminates just beneath the bottom wall I6 of the chamber. chamber wall for the rear wall I3 form with a spaced wall 2i, a lower compartment for housing a sliding drawer 22. This drawer has affront wall 23, back wall 24, side walls 25 and 2B and a bottom 2l all constructed of metal armored-heat in sulating material, said drawer being mounted on rollers 28 for sliding movement in and out of the cabinet compartment. The rollers are rotatably mounted on lower guides 29 and 3u, said guides taking the form of angle irons having their bases welded or otherwise fastened to a bottom wall 3l of the cabinet. A stop 32 projects upwardly from the bottom wail 3l and cooperates with a lug 33 depending from the rear wall of the drawer, for limiting the outward movement of the drawer when it is manually slid to open position by meansr of a handle i3d.

An open topped compartment 35 is formed by the side, end and bottom walls of the drawer and the side walls for the compartment are lined with a hollow casing 36 for housing an evaporator 3l. The compartment is closed by a lid 38 comprising two sections 39 and 40 connected along their transverse adjacent edges by a hinge 4I. When it is desired to obtain frozen food from the storage compartment 35, the drawer is rectilinearly slid outwardly so that the door 40 is outside of the body of the cabinet door section may be manually rotated upwardly on the hinge 4I for access into said compartment. It will be noted that access to this low temperature storage compartment is wholly independent of the normal food storage chamber and that when thel low temperature storage compartment is opened, from the top only, it precludes the entrance of warm air there-` in because said warm air being lighter than the c'old air in the compartment, will not "displace said heavier air and therefore does'not enter the compartment. f'

Refrigerant under pressure is introduced to i are mounted within the The sheet metal wall I9 for the I2 and the sheet metal wall 2li oi contact with the evaporator 31 through an expansion valve, or restricted orifice, 42 which is rigidly mounted on the outside of the sliding drawer 22 and extends into a vertically extending passageway 4I formed by the metal walls I8, 20 and 2| and a narrow front wall '44 (Fig. 3). I'hls valve is connected to one end of the evaporator coil by an elbow 45 and a short pipe connection 45. Reduced pressure refrigerant leaves the evaporator coil through an elbow connection 41, which is mounted on the side of the drawer and which also extends into the vertical passageway.

` Refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator in the sliding drawer lcompartment by means of a conventional refrigerating unit 4s which may be of the compressor or absorption type. The drawings illustrate a compressor unit which has a motor driven compressor 49 connected on its pressure side by a pipe line 50 to a condenser 5|. Cooled refrigerant under pressure is directed to a rigidly mounted coupling 52 by a pipe 53, said coupling extending into the upper portion of the passageway 48. A iiexible tubing 54 is fastened at its upper end to the coupling 52 and is connected at its lower end to the expansion valve 42. 'I'he tubing has a length greater than the straight line distance between the coupling and the valve in all their relative positions, and its length is disposed within the passageway and out the sheet metal walls as is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. A lower pressure refrigerant is returned from the evaporator coils High pressure and reduced pressure refrigerant service pipes and 15 respectively communicate through the flexible tubing 55 which is connected j at its lower end to the elbow 41 and at its upper end to a stationarily mounted coupling 56 fastened to the end of a pipe 51 which extends from the side wall of the normal food storage compartment and is connected at its inner end to an expansion valve. or a restrictive orifice, 58 on the evaporator 59 for said normal food storage chamber. A refrigerant return pipe 60 is connected between the evaporator 59 and the compressor 49.

The upper portions of the sheet metal walls i9 and 2| and the front wall 6| are joined along their upper edges to a top sheet metal wall 62 which forms therewith a housing for the compressor and condenser unit of the refrigerating system.

The flexible tubing may have a braid wire armor which protects a ilexible metal or synthetic type tubing having neutral characteristics relative to the type of refrigerant used in the system. It will therefore be noted that the sliding movement of the compartment relative to a stationarily mounted refrigerating unit is permitted by the loose connection of the flexible tubing between the unit and the compartment and said tubing will not be worn, damaged or fatigued during the relative movement between said unit and the compartment because it is freely hung within the passageway 43. As illustrated in Fig. 1, this tubing has a substantially flattened S-shape in side elevation and its body portion is disposed in a transverse plane extending through the approximate center of the passageway 43 (Fig. 2).

The modification of my refrigerator illustrated in Figs. 4-6 of the drawings has a centrally disposed normal food storage chamber 63 similar in ail respects to that illustrated for the refrigerator shown in Figs. 1-3. A compressor and condenser unit is mounted upon the top wall 64 of the chamber and a low temperature, food compartment 65 is disposed within a sliding drawer 66 which in turn is positioned beneath the normal food compartment also ina manner similar to with the rei'rigerating 'unit Ain the manner illustrated in Figs. 1-3 and are each connected at their lower ends, to stationarily mounted coupling members 11 and 10. said coupling members cooperating with couplings 48 and 1l to transmit refrigerant to and from the evaporator. 'Ihese stationary coupling members are ftened to a rear sheet metal wall 18 of the refrigerator by bolts |00. This rear wall forms with the rear wall of the normal food chamber and the sheet metal side walls 80 and 8|, a. verticallyextending passageway 82 through which the refrigerant pipes 15 and 16 pass, as is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The cooperative coupling members 1l-11 and 12-18 are similar in construction. I shall therefore describe the former members with particular reference to Fig. 6 of the drawing. Broadly, these cooperative coupling members function to automatically close shut-oil' valves in each oi' them when the low temperature food storage drawer is initially moved in a rectilinear direction toward its open position within the cabinet. The coupling member 11 therefore consists of a block 88 which has encircling its end, a telescopic member 84 urged outwardly from the block by means of a spring 85 which bears, at its inner end, against a disc 86 bolted tothe block,and at its outer end. against a seat member 81 bolted to a flange 85, the latter being formed on the outer periphery of the telescopic member 84. A shoulder 89 is formed on the interior of the telescopic member and forms a limit stop for the latter member against the action of spring 85. The refrigerant pressure line 15 communicates with a chamber 90 formed centrally in the block 83, said chamber having a tapered seat 8| formed therein which cooperates with a tapered valve head 82. disposed within said chamber. The valve head has a stem 93 integrally fastened thereto and which moves in a guideway 94, formed in a plug 85. The pasv sageway is sealed by the threaded plug 95 and a relatively heavy compression spring 8l is disposed within the chamber and acts to urge the valve 92 against its seat 9| to preclude the passage oi' high pressure refrigerant from the chamber. A refrigerant passageway 91 is formed in the forward end of the block and communicates with the chamber 90, said passageway being continued to an exterior scat 98 formed in the seat member 81 by means of a bellows 99 which is placedunder compression between the disc 86 and a shoulder |00, formed on the seat member 81.

'Iv'hecooperating, movable coupling member which is fastened to the drawer comprises a block |0| which has a tapered nose portion |02 for dea stem portion |04 hole |05 formed in plug |05. a light compression is permitted to pass moved from its seat electric switch H3 through ports formed in the plug and thence through the refrigerant pipe 69. A valve actuating rod mais rigidly fastened at its one end to the valve 92 and extends therefrom through the passageway 91 and functions to contact the valve |03 at its outer end to open both of said valves.

To maintain the drawer 66 in its closed position, a suitable positive acting latch H0 is rotatably mounted in the upper portion of the drawer front wall. This latch may take the form of eccentric cam III, which upon manual rotation is engaged in a slot H2, formed in the cabinet wall.v To preclude excessive pressures in the refrigerant pressure line 15 after the drawer has been withdrawn from its normal position, an

rear of the drawer 86, said switch being connected in series in the circuit for the motor H4 which drives the compressor H5. In the event an absorption type refrigerating unit is employed, a l

suitable by-pass actuating means could be substituted for the switch H3. To this end the two circuit lines H6 and ||1 are led from the refrigerating unit through the passageway 82, within a cable H8, the circuit lines being connected to a conventional outlet plug H9, said circuit line H1 having interposed therein a compressor fan motor |20 and the motor H4. An arm |2| for the switch is spring urged to open the switch and when the drawer 6B is moved to its normal latched position within the refrigerator the switch arm is rotated counter-clockwise to close the motor circuit.

It will therefore be noted that when the coupling members are out of engagement with each other, that is, when the tapered nose |02 is detached from the tapered seat 98, valve 92 will be in contact with seat 9| by action of its spring 90, whilst the valve |03 will be in engagementy with its seat by action of its spring |01. The initial movement of the drawer t6 toward its open position will uncouple the members and cause their respective valves to assume their closedposltions. In this condition refrigerant is precluded from passing through the lines 15 and 16, and refrigerant in the evaporator can not escape therefrom.

Upon closing the drawer the tapered nose |02 first contacts and seats against the tapered opening 9B in seat member 81 and during the intermediate movement of the drawer to its closed position, the telescopic member slides back on the block. 83 against the action of spring 85 to thereby 'seal the refrigerant line through the coupling prior to the opening of the valves "92 and |03. While this action is occurring, the rod H09 contacts the valve |03 and due to the fact that its spring |01 is lighter in action than lthe spring, 96, said valve |03 will first be opened. Further movement of the drawer will cause the valve stem |04 to stop against the bottom of the hole |05 whereupon further movement of the drawer will open the valve 92 against the action of spring 96 which permits the transmission of refrigerant under pressure between the pipes 69 and 15.

r What is claimed is: f

1. Ina device of the class described the combination of arefrigera-ting unit, a sliding compartment disposed in vertical, spaced relationship with'the unit, a refrigerant evaporator in the compartment, a direct refrigerant expansion means afiixed to the compartment and connected is stationarily mounted at the bination of a refrigerating unit, a normal food of the compartment,

storage chamber, a sliding compartment for low temperature food storage, a refrigerant evaporator in the compartment, refrigerant transmitting means between the unit and the evaporator for permitting movement-of said compartment relative to the unit, and a direct expansion means aflixed to the compartment and interposed between the evaporator and the refrigerant transmitting means.

3. A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a housing uponthe chamber, a refrigerating unit mounted within the housing, a compartment for low temperature food storage, means for mounting said compartment beneath the chamber for sliding movement, a refrigerant evaporator in the compartment, and refrigerant transmitting means between the unit andthe evaporator for permitting sliding movementv of the compartment.

4. A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a housing upon the chamber, a refrigerating unit mounted in said housing, a compartment for low temperature foodfstorage disposed beneath the chamber' and wholly independent therefrom, means for mounting the compartment for sliding movement, a vertically extending passageway between the housing and an exterior side a refrigerant evaporator in the compartment, and refrigerant transmitting means between the evaporator and the unit disposed in the passageway and permitting sliding movement of the compartment.

5. A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a refrigerating unit upon the chamber, a sliding drawer disposed beneath the chamber, a low temperature food compartment inthe drawer, a refrigerant evaporator in the compartment, and a flexible tubing between the unit and the evaporator for transmitting refrigerant therebetween. r

6. A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a refrigerating unit, a housing for the unit, a sliding drawer disposed beneath the chamber', a low temperature food compartment within the drawer, a refrigerant evaporator for the compartment, a vertical passageway disposed on one side of the chamber and extending between the housing and the drawer, a exible tubing freely disposed within the passageway and conecting the unit to the evaporator for transmitting refrigerant therebetween.

'7. A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a refrigerating .condenser and compressor unit mounted upon the chamber, a housing for the unit, a sliding drawer disposed beneath the chamber, a llow temperature food compartment within the drawer, a refrigerant evaporator surrounding the compartment, a vertical passageway disposed on one side of the chamber and extending between the housing and the drawer, a exible tubing freely disposed within the passageway and connecting the unit to the evaporator for transmitting refrigerant therebetween. 8.A A refrigerator having a normal food storage chamber, a housing disposed above the chamber, a refrigerating unit in the housing, a drawer mounted for horizontal, rectilinear movement beneath lthe chamber, a relatively deep, vertical passageway disposed on one side of the chamber and having its depth dimension parallel to the to thel evaporator, and refrigerant transmitting.l 75 directionof movement of the drawer, a, low ternheld thereby within the said comprising insulated side,

perature food compartment within the drawer, an evaporator in the compartment, a refrigerant coupling for the evaporator depending centrally into the lower portion of the passageway, a rev frigerant coupling connected to the unit and extending into the upper portion of the passageway, and a exible tube connected to the two couplings and held thereby within the said passageway.

9. A refrigerator having a normal food chamber, a. housing disposed above the chamber, a refrigerating unit in the housing, a drawer mounted for horizontal, rectilinear movement beneath the chamber, a relatively deep, passageway disposed on one side of the chamber and having its depth dimension parallel to the Storage vertical direction of movement of the drawer, a low temperature food compartmentwithin the drawer, an evaporator in the compartment, .a refrigerant coupling for the evaporator extending into the lower portion of the passageway, a rigid refrigerant coupling connected to the unit and extending into the upper portion of the passageway, and a flexible tube connected to the two couplings and passageway, said exible tube having a length greater than the straight line distance between the couplings.

10. A refrigerator including a refrigerant transmitting pipe, a. sliding drawer, a food compartment in the drawer, an evaporator for the compartment, a stationary coupling for the pipe, a coupling for the evaporator mountedon the drawer and adapted to engage the stationary coupling when the drawer is in its closed position, a shut-off valve for each coupling, means for urging said valves to closed positions, and means for maintaining the valve in open positions when said drawer is in its closed position.

11. A refrigerator including a refrigerant transmitting pipe, a sliding drawer, a food compartment in the drawer, an evaporator for the compartment, a. two-part coupling between the evaporator and the pipe, a shut-oil valve in each coupling part, and means for maintaining the valves in open position when the drawer is closed.

12. A refrigerator including a, stationary re- Vfrigerant transmitting pipe, a slidable food compartment, an evaporator for the compartment, a two-part coupling between the pipe and the evaporator, detachable cooperating means between the two parts for engaging them upon movement of the compartment to its closed position withinlthe refrigerator, a shut-off valve in each part, means for automatically closing the valves when the two parts sitions. and means for opening said valves when the parts are in engaged positions.

13. A low temperature, food storage compartment for a self-contained,y mechanical refrigerator having a refrigerating unit mounted thereon end and bottom walls forming an open-topped compartment, a refrigerant evaporator within the compartment, direct expansion means ailixed to the compartment and communicating with one end of the evaporator, return suction means mounted on a wall oi' the compartment and connected with the opposite end of the evaporator, conduit means for connecting the direct expansion means and the return suction means to the refrigerating unit, and

are in disengaged potheinterior surface of the having a refrigerating unit affixed thereto comprising insulated side, end and bottom walls forming an open-topped compartment, at least one of said walls having an evaporator aperture formed therein and disposed adjacent the interior surface oi' said compartment wail, a direct expension means afilxed to the compartment and in communication with one end o1' the evaporator aperture, a return suction iltting xed to a compartment wall and connected with the opposite end ofthe evaporator aperture, conduit means `connecting the direct expansion means and the return suction ntting to the refrigerating unit, and means for guiding the compartment for rectilinear movement into and out of the refrigerator.

`15. In a device of the class described the combination of a non-insulating cabinet casing having a top wall, a bottom wall and side and end walls, a closed, insulated chamber for normal food storage fixed centrally within the cabinet casing and forming with the cabinet casing walls upper and lower housing sections, said chamber having an opening therein for access to its interior. an insulated closure for the opening, said compartment having one side wall disposed in spaced relation with an adjacent side wall of the cabinet casing to form a vertical passage between the sections, a compresso!` unit for the chamber mounted within one section, an open-topped sharp freeze drawer disposed for sliding movement within the other section, said drawer having insulated side, bottom and end walls, an insulated closure for the drawer top, a refrigerant evaporator unit lining drawer walls, and refrigerant transmitting means between the evaporator unit and the compressor unit, said means being disposed and freely movable in the vertical passage.

16. In a, device of the class described the com'- bination of a non-insulating cabinet casing having a top wall, a bottom wall and side and end walls, a closed, insulated chamber for normal food storage fixed centrally within the cabinet casing walls and forming with the cabinet casing walls upper and lower housing sections, said chamber having an opening therein for access to its interior, an insulated closure for the opening, said chamber having one side wall disposed in spaced relation with an adjacent side wall of the cabinet casing to form a, vertical passage between the sections, a compressor unit for the chamber mounted within one section, an open-topped sharp freeze drawer disposed for sliding movement within the other section, said drawer having insulated side, bottom and end walls, a refrigerant evaporator unit lining the interior surface of the drawer walls, and refrigerant transmitting means between the evaporator unit and the compressor unit, said means being disposed and freely mo ablein the vertical passage.

FRED W. STUART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

